Incident: Fuel System Defect in Audi A8 and S8 Vehicles

Published Date: 2019-03-09

Postmortem Analysis
Timeline 1. The software failure incident of the fuel system defect in Audi vehicles happened in June 2018 as mentioned in the article [82588].
System unknown
Responsible Organization unknown
Impacted Organization 1. Customers who own the affected 2013-2016 Audi A8 and S8 vehicles were impacted by the fuel system defect leading to a potential fire hazard [Article 82588].
Software Causes unknown
Non-software Causes 1. The defect in the fuel system of the Audi vehicles, specifically related to the high pressure fuel pump's supply line becoming porous over time, leading to a fuel smell entering the cabin and potential fuel leaks [82588].
Impacts 1. The software failure incident in the Audi vehicles led to a fuel system defect where the high pressure fuel pump's supply line could become porous over time, causing a fuel smell to enter the cabin and potentially creating a fuel leak, which posed a fire hazard [82588].
Preventions 1. Regular and thorough testing of the fuel system components during the design and manufacturing process could have potentially identified the issue before the vehicles were released to the market [82588]. 2. Implementing more robust quality control measures during the production of the vehicles to detect any defects in the fuel system components could have prevented the issue from reaching customers [82588]. 3. Conducting more extensive root cause analysis and testing during the initial discovery of the defect in June 2018 could have led to a clearer understanding of the problem and its resolution before the vehicles were sold to consumers [82588].
Fixes 1. Adding a fuel pressure damper in the low-pressure fuel supply, located in the gas tank, can fix the software failure incident [82588].
References 1. Audi (the automaker) [Article 82588]

Software Taxonomy of Faults

Category Option Rationale
Recurring unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to either one_organization or multiple_organization. Therefore, the information regarding these options is unknown.
Phase (Design/Operation) design Unknown
Boundary (Internal/External) within_system The software failure incident described in the article about Audi's recall of certain vehicles due to a fuel system defect does not directly involve software issues. The root cause of the problem is related to the fuel system, specifically the high pressure fuel pump's supply line becoming porous over time, leading to fuel leaks and potential fire hazards. Therefore, the boundary of the incident is within_system, as the contributing factors originate from within the vehicle's fuel system and not from external software-related issues [82588].
Nature (Human/Non-human) unknown <Article 82588> does not mention any software failure incident related to non-human or human actions. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident related to non-human or human actions is unknown.
Dimension (Hardware/Software) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to hardware or software issues. Therefore, the information about the software failure incident related to hardware or software is unknown.
Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to a malicious or non-malicious objective. Therefore, the information related to this question is unknown.
Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) unknown Unknown
Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) unknown Unknown
Duration unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to the Audi recall for the fuel system issue. Therefore, the duration of the software failure incident is unknown.
Behaviour other (a) crash: The software failure incident in the Audi vehicles was not related to a crash of the system losing state and not performing any of its intended functions. The issue was specifically related to a defect in the fuel system, causing a fuel leak and potential fire hazard [82588]. (b) omission: There is no indication in the article that the software failure incident was due to the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The focus was on the fuel system defect and the potential safety risks associated with it [82588]. (c) timing: The software failure incident was not attributed to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The issue was related to a defect in the fuel system, specifically the high pressure fuel pump's supply line becoming porous over time, leading to a fuel leak and potential fire hazard [82588]. (d) value: The software failure incident was not caused by the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The problem stemmed from a defect in the fuel system of the Audi vehicles, which could result in a fuel leak and fire hazard [82588]. (e) byzantine: The software failure incident was not characterized by the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The issue was related to a specific defect in the fuel system of the affected Audi vehicles, leading to potential safety concerns [82588]. (f) other: The software failure incident in the Audi vehicles can be categorized as a safety-related issue stemming from a defect in the fuel system, specifically the high pressure fuel pump's supply line becoming porous over time. This defect could result in a fuel leak and pose a fire hazard, prompting Audi to issue a recall for remediation [82588].

IoT System Layer

Layer Option Rationale
Perception None None
Communication None None
Application None None

Other Details

Category Option Rationale
Consequence unknown The article does not mention any software failure incident related to consequences such as death, harm, basic needs impact, property damage, delays, or impact on non-human entities. It also does not discuss any theoretical consequences of the software failure. The only consequence mentioned in the article is related to a potential fire hazard due to a fuel leak caused by a defect in the fuel system of Audi vehicles [82588].
Domain unknown Unknown

Sources

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